The ten best dubstep shows of 2012

Let's face it: 2012 can go down in history as the year that dubstep came out. Granted, the scene and genre have been around since the late '90s and early 2000s, but it was in 2012 that they finally took over the airwaves. With Denver being a mecca of dubstep in America and all, Backbeat reflected on the last twelve months and put together this list of the best shows that graced our venues during the year. Think we missed a show? Tell us about your own favorite dubstep sets in the comments section.

The Killabits make dubstep that sounds like a machine gun spraying you in the face with heavy bass bullets and gut-rattling sub-bass. At Beta, which houses one of the only Funktion-One sound systems in America, the Killabits sprayed a packed house with their sound and reminded Denver of two things: Dubstep is far from dead, and Sub.Mission never fails to bring the best noise.

Zeds Dead makes music that both sounds good on your speakers and brings a show that you cannot forget. In the past, we've seen the duo play in front of strobed tombstones, but at Red Rocks, it was all LED panels and blasting strobe lights. With Omar LinX, the bass buds culled the depths of their own catalogue and brought out the big guns, especially on the "Mercy" remix.

DJ Ishe is an extremely talented DJ and producer -- one whose reputation precedes him nearly everywhere he goes. As a musician and an operator of the bass-bombing Whomp Truck, Ishe plays plenty of big festivals. At Global Dance Festival this year, Ishe brought out some new tracks from a recent Play Me Records release with fellow producer Dirt Monkey. In the video, you'll hear a short clip of "Slow and Low," and you'll see a packed daytime set of enthusiastic bass heads.

It's almost painful letting Skrillex be placed in the dubstep category, but the dude crushes his production. Fireworks, confetti cannons, cryo-cannons and more fire comprise his formidable visual spectacle, and his music is simply on point. Although his recent visit was very similar -- almost timed perfectly -- to his Ultra Music Festival set, Sonny Moore still brought the house down with his reggae and dubstep influences while giving the kiddos what they wanted by reaching back into the "Scary Monsters, Nice Sprites" days of Skrillex.

Caspa came to Denver for an extended period of time thanks to the dubstep influence of Sub.Mission. In that stay, he played a set at Cervantes and somehow also managed to squeeze in a headlining set at the Fillmore. Known for mixing with all the big names in the biz, including a few on this list, Caspa teased at various tracks but really hit hard with a small blip of Doctor P's "Sweet Shop."

When 12th Planet signed on with Beta for a semi-annual residency, Denver went ballistic. To go along with this new bond, the LA-based dubstep producer brought twelve-dollar bills to throw out to the crowd with his mug in the middle, and Denver fans picked up every one of them. The residency consists of four sets in 2012, with the final show commencing this coming Friday, and 12th Planet has secured his name in the dubstep books of Denver by always bringing new sounds, especially those from his The End is Near release.

Lorin Ashton will rage until your face melts off -- metaphorically speaking, of course. On the first of two sold-out nights at Red Rocks, Ashton just hurt people. Bringing a massive rig to accompany his Bassnectar experience, we were taken on a journey through metal, rock and roll, rap and original tracks from the West-Coast producer. The highlight of the night, aside from the production and visuals in and of themselves, had to be his transition into mega-jam "Ugly." Kudos to Ashton for the multi-sensory stimulation.

Flux Pavilion managed to create a genre within a genre when he released his banging 2010 remix of DJ Fresh's "Gold Dust." The question on many people's minds then was "Does this song define Flux Pavilion?" The answer: Certainly not. Joshua Steele's set at the inaugural Global Dub Festival solidified his presence in the world as one of the top producers at the time, and this came following his first Denver appearance at the sold-out Sub.Mission show at the Fillmore just months prior. At Global Dub Fest, Steele brought out his usual arsenal of tracks, but when played at Red Rocks, they resonated better and felt bigger.

Troy Beetles is a force to be reckoned with. On his Vortex Tour, which stopped at the Ogden, Datsik brought raging bass peppered with influences of modern rock (Korn) and contemporary hip-hop (Wu-Tang). Alongside his mastered audio, Datsik's Vortex stage setup was a visual anomaly that played with the perspective and imagery that partnered with the bass-heavy sounds of the Canadian producer.

The annual, or now bi-annual (Rusko will play two nights at the Ogden in April) Rusko show is becoming a tradition in Colorado. And we don't need to defend our love for great European dubstep. Rusko brought a workout routine to the outdoor venue in August when he played a fill-in spot for Passion Pit at the Justice show. Rusko's personal workout came with a slew of a remixes and originals, and thanks to his recent album release, the Colorado crowd got the purest "Skanker" ever played.

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